


hokus pokus

by jenovibez



Series: starcrossed lovers [5]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Circus, Curses, Insane Clown Posse - Freeform, Inspired By, M/M, Mark and renjun share a bike, Necromancy, Ryujin and Yeji are the true queens here, Skateboarding, The Great Milenko, by the, nomin takes a backseat to the story, this is the longest fic i’ve ever wrtten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24928672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenovibez/pseuds/jenovibez
Summary: when the travelling circus rolls into his town, jeno is intrigued by the mystery surrounding it. people keep disappearing when the cursed business arrives but he just can't stop himself from checking it out.there's a sick line up of acts, but the clown with his greasy charm and wide grin scares him out of his skin. no matter how scary the mystery might be, jeno might have to stick around to see him more
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: starcrossed lovers [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576522
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	hokus pokus

the jingle of a cheery song echos down the streets of jeno's town, swept around the corners of the concrete buildings by the cold wind blowing in from the storm on the horizon. the high street is normally full of people, selling food or flowers, with bustling shopfronts and chattery crowds either side of the tarmac road. 

but today it's silent. 

there is no sign of anybody, even in the middle of the day. jeno initially thought it was because of the storm rolling in from the east, but he knew that it couldn't be, since neither the news from the surrounding states nor his uncle, one of the local weathermen is worried about it. 

it's like the scenes from a western, of the deserted streets where you can hear whispers around corners. it feels like there should be a tumbleweed blowing down the street in front of him as he sits on the hard concrete curb. he locked himself out, forgot his keys when he headed off to school. 

school felt normal while he was there. loud classrooms, with the usual litter all over the floor, and the broken heating system leaving him shivering in his t-shirt. the only thing that's seemed off was most of the school headed off as soon as the bell rung, rather than hanging back for their friends. 

he walked home by himself, but oddly enough, the local shop owners were packing up already. he had to think if it was a holiday or special event, but there really wasn't anything different about today. there were no students gathering outside shops to share sweets or sat on the grass as they waited for the afternoon to waste away. 

his mom won't be home until dinner time. he's got way too much time to kill, and he's going to start aching if he sits here for too long. so he decides to get up and go for a walk. what's the harm, anyways? he knows his town like the back of his hand despite only just moving, and can always come back. it's barely a fifteen minute walk from one end of the town to the other. 

so he strolls down the eerily quiet street, but the hairs on his neck stand up when he walks past dark alleyways, and he notices just how lonely he is at the moment when he passes the town square, which is usually full of people. there's often a yoga class running, and the middle and elementary schoolers are always running around. 

there's nobody here. just a flock of pigeons picking off what bits of litter they think is suitable to eat. 

he decides to sit on the fountain, which does actually have quite clean water. it's cold when he dips his hands into it, but it's nice to not have to push past hordes of small children to have a sit down. he notices there's more flyers than he's seen before on the pillars around it, so he pulls a few off to read and pass the time. 

there's one about a drama performance the local middle school is putting on, the same one they do every year. there's another about a new shop opening. jenos actually been there before. they serve amazing pancakes on sunday mornings. there's one of those annoying posters that high schools put up about stds, and jeno really thinks that whoever put it up picked a bad place. 

but he forgets about it when a more dull flyer blows off the wall, landing in his lap. it would freak jeno out on a regular day, but nothing about today sounds regular. so he reads it, and is surprised when he sees a circus is in town today. surely everyone would love to watch? why are they all hidden at home? 

turns out that there's another boy out, and he seems to be looking for someone. he runs over, flyer in hand, and taps the boy on the shoulder. he physically jumps, and jeno smiles a little, amused by his reaction. but the horrified look on the boys face speaks something else. 

"what's the matter?"

jeno asks, and the boy looks around, panicked and frantic as he searches for something that jeno cant see. the boy sighs, takes a deep breath. 

"i'm looking for my friend. she disappeared after she told me she was going to the bathroom in the library."

jeno frowns, and looks behind them, to the street where their small library sits, neat and dusted regularly. it's not sizeable in any way, so he surely couldn't have just missed her in there...

"you think she might've gone home?"

he decides to ask, and the boys face falls. he shakes his head and holds up his phone as he hears someone pick up. jenos eyebrows raise as the boy asks questions rapidly, only to be met with rustles and distorted sound. the call ends, and they lock eyes again. 

"can you help me? im sure she answered me because her phones in her back pocket. she can't have gone far."

as jeno listens and nods, taking in the boys appearance fully. he's around the same height as him, maybe a little shorter. he's got black hair, and is wearing a hoodie and jeans. he's dressed like most of their classmates, but jeno doesn't recognise him from his year. 

"i'm mark. thank you so much. i'm new to town."

he says, and jeno nods, crumpling up the flyer and dropping it on the ground as he rolls down his sleeves. it's getting colder, and the sun is going to set soon. hopefully it doesn't take that long. him and mark launch into conversation. of course, it starts off incredibly awkward, but soon they're chatting like two friends who've known each other since they were young. 

but then mark pauses, as they turn the corner to the high street, which is also empty and chillingly quiet. he turns back to jeno, and looks down to his hand, before looking back into jenos's eyes. jeno frowns in turn, and waits for mark to speak up. 

"you dropped that."

he says, gesturing to the crumpled flyer that jeno is clutching in his clenched fist. he jumps, and drops it to the floor again. the red and yellow circus tent and grinning clown stare back at him, and it sends a shiver down his spine. 

him and mark stand in silence, before mark pulls a lighter out from one of his hoodie pockets, and picks the piece of paper up from the ground and unfolds it. he flicks the lighter and suddenly, they have a little orange flame flickering in front of their eyes. mark holds it to the corner of the paper, waiting for it to catch fire. 

they wait and wait but the flyer doesn't begin to burn up. it doesn't even singe. mark's hands begin to shake, and he finally gives up, tearing the paper into pieces and letting them fall to the floor. mark's friend is long forgotten. something else is going on. 

"normal paper... doesn't... do that...."

he stutters, and mark shakes his head. 

"lia is probably at home. she loves to play pranks on me anyways. but i think something else is up."

he says shakily, looking around them. the sky is darker than they remember it being, and there is a breeze blowing in with the scent of rain following it. mark and him look around, and spot a few residents staring at them, some pitiful, some shocked seemingly to simply see them outside. 

"do you know anything about the circus? it looked fun but now it just feels kind of... scary."

jeno's head whips around when he hears a rustle, distinctly separate to all the sounds they've heard out o the streets. it sounds like someone. they can hear the faint footsteps and the rustle of fabric. no matter show much jeno wishes it were an animal, he is a hundred percent sure that someone is following them. 

then he hears a crack of lightening, and almost on command, rain starts pouring out of the billowing dark clouds above their heads. jeno looks around immediately, feeling the water soak through his thin t shirt and make it cling to his chest, mark pulls him by the hand and spring to shelter on the front porch of one of the houses along the next street. 

jeno grimaces as he pulls his t-shirt off, wringing it out and feeling his feet squelching awkwardly in his now soaking wet trainers. mark isn't doing much better, with his hoodie soaked through and his jeans a completely different shade of blue to what they were. 

he gazes out across the street, and watches curiously as the water rushes by, a cloudy greyish white as it passes the porch. jeno thinks he must be dehydrated or simply exhausted, because some of the rain looks like it's turning into mist and smoke, blanketing the street with a grey fog. 

——

they spend a few minutes on the porch, talking as they wait for what's left of their remotely dry clothes to dry out slightly. suddenly, the door clicks behind them, and their heads whip around, only to be met by the owner of the local sweet shop. 

she's a sweet woman, old, short and frail. she usually dresses in old fashioned, float floral dresses in pastel hues. her dresses are what the town usually looks like, but whatever is going on today is draining the life out of everything and everyone. 

today, old mrs smith is dressed in a black dress and an apron. her fingers are long and bony, and her hair seems a less saturated white than it was yesterday. mark and jeno exchange a glance, with mark picking up his hoodie in case. mrs smith squints for a few more seconds, before recognising them as two of the many students that visit her shop. 

"boys! what are you doing out in this weather?"

she asks, voice warm and comforting and a stark contrast to the cold, chilling atmosphere they've been stuck in for the last hour. she invites them in, handing them pastel pink and blue towels to dry off with. she puts the kettle on, and soon enough they're sat in front of her fireplace, drinking hot tea and eating her homemade biscuits. 

"sorry about standing on your porch ma'am. we just needed shelter from the rain. we were actually heading home."

mark says, but mrs smith shakes her head, a soft laugh escaping her. 

"it's not safe out there today. you two are new to town, aren't you?

she asks, and jeno looks to mark again.

"ah, so you don't know about the circus."

she says, and jeno's eyes widen. he opens his mouth to speak up, but mark beats him to it. 

"jeno picked up one of the flyers. we tried to burn it up but then we.... shredded it..."

he trails off as he and jeno watch mrs smith's friendly smile morphs into one of horror, and shakes her head. her hands tremble as she sets her tray of tea and cookies on the coffee table in front of them. 

"did you leave the paper on the floor."

she asks, lowering her voice and looking to the shadowy corners of the room in fear. jeno gulps and nods slowly, and she shakes her head. 

"check your pockets, jeno."

and he does. he stuffs his fists into his pockets, not expecting to find much. it's probably just mrs smith messing with them, right? but to his horror, the shredded pieces of paper that they dropped on the floor half an hour ago are there, pristine and dry as they were when he picked up the flyer first despite being in his soaked jean pockets. 

"it's the circus, boys. do you want to know the story? it might explain why everyone is indoors."

she suggests quietly, and jeno nods, pulling his knees to his chest. mark stays frozen in his seat, but it's clear that him and jeno are equally as scared as mrs smith seems to be. 

"the circus comes through town every year. in the beginning, i was just a little girl."

she says, lacing her bony fingers together. 

"it was bright and colourful, and the whole town loved it. but then some of the adults who went started going missing. and then seven children in two years. then an entire family, six years ago."

jeno shivers again, but he can't tell whether it's the cold clothes sticking to his skin or the blood that's running cold inside his veins. 

"these people go missing when the circus is here. it stays for three days, and people start disappearing off the streets. in the start, people started reporting seeing... _things_... in the dark at night, or in the shadows just around the corner."

"sometimes people would say they could hear a rustle, or see a figure in the corner of their eye that disappears when they look. the police couldn't do anything about it, no matter how deep the investigation does."

jeno feels mark look at him, but he's stuck looking at mrs smith. 

"everyone hides, in the desperate hope that they are safe in their homes, but people still go missing. the police called the state, reported the circus for crime, but there is no record of the business on the face of the earth. it's like it doesn't exist."

"people say they use voodoo. they break mirrors in people's houses, smash windows in the dead of night. they unlock doors just to leave them swinging open in the wind. and then we all wake up three days after they arrive in town, and they're gone."

mrs smith takes a shaky sip of her tea, and jeno clears his throat. he looks to mark, who is looking back at him with wide eyes. he stands up on wobbly legs, and mrs smith watches them carefully. 

"take care boys."

is the last thing they hear before they walk out of the door. 

——

the rain doesn't clear up, and jeno is realising that it's going to get very dark very soon. mark seems to be coming to the same thought, and he stops as they exit their fourth sheltered alleyway. 

"are we seriously going to do this?"

mark asks him, and jeno sighs. the circus is just out of town, so it won't be hard to reach once they get either their boards or their bikes from their homes. but it's such a risky move to try and check the place out, because of... you know. 

"come on, they can't be serious, right? cursed circuses? people disappearing at the hands of a tightrope walker? how realistic does that sound?"

he half heartedly jokes, but mark's grimace doesn't let up. he sighs, and confronts the fact that they're going to be walking into what could be a literal death trap. nonetheless, something is driving jeno to check it out. it might just be natural curiosity, but something is making him want to check it out. 

"honestly, i don't know. mrs smith seems so genuine that she couldn't mess with us, and the fact that everyone is hiding isn't... right."

he replies, and pauses as they walk past another poster, and suddenly the pieces of ripped up paper in jeno's pocket feel a little heavier. they stop, and jeno takes the time to take a closer look at the flyer. maybe there's something that can prepare them for what's coming?

"what acts are supposedly on in the circus."

he asks, and mark squints a little, leaning closer to try and read. 

"i forgot my glasses, this sucks."

he murmurs, and it makes jeno chuckle. 

"the acts; they're set to come on... a voodoo performance, then the 'boogie man'..."

jeno laughs out loud at that. 

"they have a boogie man?"

he asks, and mark grins before going back to trying to read. 

"witness black magic and dark dreams fill the tent before your very eyes. not for the faint of heart!"

mark says and jeno nods, brushing his hair out of his eyes to observe the darker art on the flyer, that he didn't notice when he first picked it up. 

"the neden game and juggalo. watch a live game show and a daredevil juggler entertain for at least half an hour."

mark looks back at him and he shrugs. it sounds pretty standard for any circus he's been to. 

"then a break, where you can explore the... hall of illusions and....the house of horrors. they must have a haunted house or something?"

he asks himself more than jeno, but nonetheless, he finds himself wanting to agree with the simple statement rather than what could be there instead. 

"watch a sermon performed by our local high priest, a trapeze performance, which will exhilarate.."

mark pauses, then looks at jeno again, a more worried look replacing the perviously amused one on his face. 

"what?"

jeno replies. 

"violent j. he comes with a hat full of tricks and a couple of toys, our creepiest clown will make your skin crawl."

he says, and jeno almost imagines what a clown called 'violent j' could possibly do, but mark interrupts him with a slightly shaky voice. 

"the final act. an occult sorcerer of the ancient craft of necromancy. the great milenko."

——

the two boys sit on the pavement in silence, before they hear a rustle, and the whistle of empty wind whipping around the sharp corners of the neighbourhood. it sends a shiver down jeno's spine, and he just wants to get out of there. 

"so uh. let's talk about something else, maybe..."

mark says, looking at the poster he'd peeled off the wall without realising. jeno has tried to stop him, but mark had just seemed... in a trance while he looked at the flyer. now, they're both regretting letting it happen. 

"yeah. so, how's life in this town?"

jeno asks, relieved to be talking about something different. mark smiles a little, resting his chin on his hand as he thinks. 

"well. i moved about half a year ago, senior year is going pretty well too. oh! and me and renjun are best friends. lia and i also know each other because of renjun."

jeno knows renjun. he's a smart kid in his year, a little older than him. he's never gotten the time to get close with renjun, but he seems pretty cool. 

"my mom and dad divorced before i moved _but_ i have a cool new stepdad who loves comics and film. kinda prefer him to my real dad. what about you?"

mark says, and jeno nods. 

"i moved three months ago and i kinda only have a few friends. ryujin is one of lia's friends i think, but i don't know anyone outside my circle in school very well. i guess you could understand."

he says with a shrug, and mark pats his back. 

"it gets better, buddy."

jeno nods, and looks down at his soaking wet trainers as he sits there. 

"i also lost my dad a year ago. that's why my mom moved. she didn't want to stay in the city any longer. dad kind of left me on my own, since mom is always working." 

he continues, and mark's face morphs into one of pity, before opening his mouth. 

"well, any siblings though? i'm an only child."

mark says, and jeno's spirit lifts a little at the thought of his older half-brothers. doyoung is off at college at the moment, but jeno loves him with his whole heart. the lat time he saw him was when he helped his family to move, and he'd brought jeno a new skateboard then. 

gongmyung isn't as involved with the family. he's more like their mother—always at work and only seeing his family if he really has to. still, he's retained jeno's fathers sense of humour, since he grew up without his blood father. 

"yeah, my brothers aren't in town at the moment, but they're pretty awesome. i got my skateboard from one of them."

jeno replies, and mark grins. 

"i got a bike from my stepdad for my birthday this year. it's pretty great for you know, just a casual ride when you want to get out of your house."

jeno completely understands mark. sometimes he doesn't even have anyone home with him, so he just climbs out of his window and visits the skatepark for hours at a time. mark claps his hands, and helps jeno to stand up. 

"okay so. we'll go home. it's the safest thing to do. tomorrow, i'll grab my bike, you can get your board. i'll try and convince renjun to help, but i don't think it'll be that hard. he loves mysteries. meet here at six in the morning."

jeno initially questions the need for it to be so early, but then he remembers how many people will be awake, and how many will see them sneaking off, out of town. no matter how heartless some of the residents are, there's no doubt hat at leat some of them will try and stop them. 

they finally reach the street where their routes divert and jeno nods, a little reluctant to leave his only company. still, he knows he has to, so he jogs off in the direction of his home, hair pricking up if he hears or sees anything move.

he's suddenly hit with the realisation that his bedroom window will still be open. there was a party last week, and he snuck a girl in overnight. his mom doesn't appreciate his adventures, so he has to be as discreet as possible. still, he's crossing his fingers that he forgot to lock it. 

he climbs up the wall next to his house, and scrambled up the small incline of a roof in front of his window. much to his delight, the window is open a crack, which lets him get into his room.

——

jeno opens his eyes to darkness. he rolls over and checks his alarm clock, only to slump back onto his back when he realises it's really early in the morning. like, how-did-i-wake-up-this-early early. 

the clock reads 04:17, and it's only when he hears something screech outside that he realises he's supposed to meet mark. he rubs his blurry eyes and sits up, back aching and shivering. he pulls himself up and stumbles into his bathroom.

the hot steamy shower wakes him up, and his eyes are less sore than they were. he didn't sleep that much since he woke up so early, but he's adrenaline charged 

he changes clumsily, ending up with his leather jacket over a hoodie and some looser fitting jeans. he has boots on this time, so that the rain won't soak his socks despite him needing to skateboard.it was a hard decision, but ultimately he figured out that he wouldn't be able to function with wet socks again. 

he slips a flashlight into his pocket and grabs his board just as he makes it out of the window, closing it carefully as he climbs down off the wall, breaking off into a run as he jumps on his board. all he can hear for a glorious two minutes is the wind in his ears. it's amazing, compared to the pure silence of the town centre. 

he catches sight of mark, and someone sat on his handlebars. they're both dressed similar to him—more ready for the poor weather, basically. he stops, and suddenly the full realisation of their situation sets in. he greets mark and renjun briefly, but then he pauses. 

"i know someone who might be up to help us."

he says, before looking around and setting his eyes on one of his best friend's houses. ryujin. she's always up for a challenge in school, and will do whatever her peers dare her to do at a party. he goes to knock on the door, but hears a rustle behind him. his heart rate picks up and he turns, expecting the worse. 

all he sees is ryujin in a hoodie and a pair of shorts, with her usual baseball cap on her head. jeno sighs in relief and hugs her. she laughs quietly, and follows jeno back to mark and renjun. jeno begins to explain, but she shakes her head. 

"i saw you last night. heard a tiny bit of your conversation. my mom is still asleep, so if we get moving, we'll be safe from my parents."

she jokes, and renjun cracks a smile. it seems a little less lonely, and the weather seems to be on their side. the early morning sun streaks across the sky, painting hues of gold, pink and orange across the clouds as the sunrise begins. they wait, watching and enjoying the warmer sun for a few moments before jeno snaps himself out of his daze. 

"do you know what we're headed to."

he asks her, and she sighs, looking down at her feet and shaking her head. 

"i head you were heading out of town. what are we going to do?"

she asks, and jeno sighs. he looks to mark, who nudges renjun. said boy hops off his bike with him and they both walk over to them. mark pulls the flyer he's been stuck with for the past twelve house, seemingly, and jeno shoves his hands into his pockets to see if the shredded paper is still there. 

unfortunately for him, it is. 

mark begins to tell ryujin the line up, and her face begins to fall. she looks like she could be ready to turn back. but then she clenches her fists and looks back at him. 

"yeah. i wanna help. something is wrong and clearly we need to try and find out what it is."

she says, steely gaze in place of her normally cheerful smile. jeno nods, and smiles a little in relief. 

"should we be bringing anything to like... defend ourselves?"

he asks them, and renjun laughs, rolling his eyes sarcastically as he pulls out a pair switchblades. even mark seems surprised, but stays quiet about it. ryujin hums, clearly thinking before jeno can practically see a lightbulb above her head when she gets an idea. 

"i have a few things."

she says, running back over to her house. jeno watches her climb back into her bedroom window, and he turns back to the pair of boys behind them. renjun is smirking at him, and it takes a second to click. 

"no. no. get that thought out of your head, huang."

he says, glaring back at the older boy. 

"you're totally into her, dude! like come on!"

he says, and jeno rolls his eyes. he can't argue wit renjun this early in the morning before they're going to have to spend the day together. thankfully, he sees ryujin climbing back out of her window. she has a baseball bat in one hand, and her board in the other. 

"we need to go."

she says as she jogs back over. 

"was nearly caught. people are going to start waking up at some point."

she says as she passes jeno the bat. he looks at her sceptically, and ryujin just rolls her eyes, and pulls out two pairs of brass knuckles. jeno looks around, and realised that mark also has a baseball bat with him, and he blushes upon realising he's the only one who doesn't have anything to defend himself with. 

"why do you have these."

he says sarcastically, and ryujin laughs, bringing a finger to her lips. 

"come on, we have to go."

mark says, and renjun sighs, leaning back and holding onto the handlebars of mark's bike as tightly as possible. ryujin looks at jeno and laughs as she runs ahead of him, getting on her own board as they skate down the main road out of town together. for a few minutes, nothing feels different to last week.

——

the ride out of town is nice enough. the rising sun casts golden glows across all of their faces and the heat warms jeno to the bone. the nature either side of them is well kept, and it feels like some sort of drug trip, because there are no cars on the road at all. 

then again, it's not the road that leads to other towns. it's the road that leads through the country. 

jeno had never had the privilege of skating down this road, even though it looked like a dream. it's smooth, straight and flat, only with small bumps from time to time. it lives up to his expectation, and he manages to land a few of his tricks safely. there are laughs from all of them, and jeno almost forgets what they're heading towards.

however, the wonder and magic doesn't last. soon, the neatly trimmed hedges, well kept trees and beautiful flowers morph into crawling vines that begin to creep across the floor. the trees grow taller and the flowers disappear. jeno can hear whispers like he did in the town, and his skin crawls again. 

they reach an open gate, and a fence. it's unwelcoming, with ivy creeping down the concrete walls, and they have to stop. jeno looks to mark and renjun, shaking slightly, as they see the billboard for the circus waiting outside the gate. there's cheerful music echoing out from behind the gate, but jeno can already tell that it's not going to be a cheerful circus. ryujin and him exchange a look, before he turns back to the gate. 

he's grateful that he and ryujin are fans of the utility trend. they've both goth straps on the backs of their boards thanks to it. jeno grasps his skateboard so tightly that his knuckles begin to turn white. still, he swallows his fear, and he, ryujin, renjun and mark begin to move forward. 

now that they're on foot, everything is starting to become so much more real. mark and renjun are only holding their makeshift weapons since mark can't just wheel his bike around a creepy circus. the jingle that jeno once thought was cheerful is sounding more and more creepy. 

suddenly, they hear a muffled sound from behind them. jeno spins around on his heels, only to see mark missing. he looks straight at renjun, who was only just ahead of mark. he hasn't even turned around yet. finally, it clicks, and he spins around, horrified to find his best friend missing. 

jeno holds a shaky finger to his lips, and they look around in fear. the jingle has disappeared, almost like they were imagining it, and the wind picks up. ryujin creeps forwards again, but their luck runs out. a stick snaps under her foot, and they freeze. 

someone emerges from behind a stall, but it's nothing like what they expected. it's a girl, looking about the same age as them, with long, dark hair tied into two symmetrical pigtails. she has yellow and red face paint and white contact lenses as her defining features. she giggles at the sight of their weapons, and shakes her head, dancing around them despite the agitation they're clearly showing. 

"welcome! you must've come for the show?"

she asks, not waiting for any confirmation from them before she takes jeno's hand and drags him along. the first thought he has is that 'wow, she's stronger than she looks' as he stumbles after her, forcing ryujin and renjun to run after them. they pass through hallways lined by both normal and funhouse mirrors, and jeno cant stop gazing into them. 

"uh—we were just looking for a friend—he disappeared earlier—"

renjun tries to say, but he's cut off by the woman forcefully grabbing his shoulder with a vice like grip. he flinches, letting out a pained sound. she only releases him when he begs her to stop, and she simply giggles in response. 

"he'll be in the tent. johnny is very kind, he might be giving him a backstage tour. now, don't try and escape! the show is about to start."

she says, and jeno raises an eyebrow. it sounds suspicious, sure, but this girl just seems too nice. so he follows her. they enter the red and yellow tent that was displayed on the flyer.... that's still in his pocket. it looked rundown from the outside, but as soon as they enter, it's dark, but they can all see a crowd sat down, shushing each other as they wait. 

he hears ryujin make a surprised sound when she sees the crowd, and honestly, he's feeling the same way. he didn't expect anyone to come watch since the whole town seems to believe that something is up with the circus, but it doesn't seem that way anymore. he has to squint, but in the dark, he can make out old and young, girls and boys. some families sat together as they wait. the girl turns his head back as the final lights outside the tent dim. 

someone emerges from behind the curtains on stage, and smoke billows out after him. it's odd though—jeno cant hear the roar of normal smoke machines. despite that, he's entranced by the man stood in front of them. he's only distracted by renjun putting his hand on his shoulder. 

"something isn't right."

he hears, and nods, since the girl is still sat next to him means he can't reply. still, he stays frozen in his place as he waits for the performance to start. the man steps aside, and the curtains open again, more smoke pouring out as a voice booms around them. 

"welcome our southwest voodoo! joker killer, dark magician."

the figure emerges with gloved hands, with a doll clutched in one of them. the act goes like a regular circus act would, more or less, until they call on an audience member to stand up. the young man does, and the voodoo master pulls a knife from his belt. 

he files his nails briefly, heightening the building tension in the tent as jeno waits to see what happens. he raises the knife as he sets the doll down on the table next to him. at this point, jeno realises it's a replica of the man stood behind them. 

the knife pierces the doll's chest and the man collapses behind them instantly, but jeno's horror and worry is drowned out by the odd cheers of the crowd. jeno is suddenly aware of the stench in the air. 

something is rotting. 

but he isn't left enough time to think about that. the voodoo master disappears through a hole in the floor, and another figure emerges in his place. he's dressed in a black silk suit, black hair styled with too much gel, and an evil smile adorning his lips. 

"it's the one and only boogie man! he creeps, he hides! he sneaks, he slides! if your little feetsies are hanging off the edge of the bed, you're running on stumps!"

a haunting church organ starts up and echoes around them, and jeno's palms begin to get sweaty. thankfully for him, the girl has left. from what he heard from her ramblings as she went, she's backstage. he taps renjun's knee, and beckons him along. ryujin looks at him in panic, but he shakes his head. 

"we can't all go. someone will notice faster."

he says, and ryujin looks defeated. she nods reluctantly, and sits up straight again. jeno and renjun wait until the smoke starts up again, and slip away as fast as possible before it can dissipate. 

——

renjun has drawn his knives again, and jeno is holding his board in front of him, like a shield. they are both shaken from what they've seen already, and jeno is regretting leaving ryujin by herself, but he knows she's strong. 

"do you think we should've gotten ryujin?"

he still asks, looking for confirmation form the other boy. renjun sighs soundlessly and shrugs, looking back ahead of them. jeno follows suit, and the turn a corner to the hallway lined with mirrors again. there is smoke billowing in the hallway, and a strange purple-blue glow, and _oh_ , jeno is scared. 

there is a sigh above the entrance to the hallway, reading _'hall of illusions'_. he catches a glimpse of himself in a mirror in his peripheral vision, and it looks nothing like what he does. there is too much red and blue, and it's not distorted, but when he turns to look properly, it's just his regular reflection, bent by the funhouse mirror. 

they trudge past all the different mirrors, trying their best not to get distracted by their reflections. when jeno can't see through the smoke, he crosses his fingers and trusts his luck, reaching back for renjun's hand, but it's not where it should be. he turns, and sees renjun staring at himself in a mirror, but jeno drags him away as fast as he can. 

renjun stumbles after him at first, but catches his breath and evens out his steps, following jeno as they run past the rest of the mirrors. after what feels like hours, they exit the end and emerge outside the tent, where the girl had first dragged them through. they can hear the boom of the voice announcing each act still, and they can only pray ryujin is going to be okay.

"we have to find mark."

renjun says, looking around them in the hopes that mark would just appear. jeno nods, but looks towards the stall next to the entrance. it looks like a simple carnival game—one like hook-a-duck—but curtain behind the display is drawn, and it leads somewhere. jeno points the frantic boy in its direction, and he immediately takes off in its direction. jeno has no choice but to follow him because what else can he do? shout out and get caught again?

——

jeno isn't shocked when the stall leads them elsewhere than just a regular storeroom for prizes. there's a metal chair with leather straps and buckles where your wrists and ankles would be if you'd sat in it.... or you'd been sat in it....the shocking thing is that there's crimson red blood splattered across the steel and the wall behind it. 

jeno prays that the worst hasn't come to fruition, but then he sees mark's jacket tossed on the floor, torn and dirty. renjun spots it and his expression goes blank. they both can't help but pray that it's _not_ the end. jeno hears a rustling sound, but every time he looks around, trying to find the source it disappears. 

then they hear the boom of a different voice from the tent as the organ stops. it's more cheerful, like a game show hosts. 

"let's meet contestant number one! he's a schizophrenic serial killer clown who says 'women love his sexy smile'. let's find out if his charm will work on sharon."

renjun and jeno look at each other, and are suddenly spurred on by a fear of what will happen to both ryujin and themselves. renjun peeks around the corner as they go to exit this... room. it seems like fate is on their side. 

jeno turns to look at the chair again. it's sinister—metal covered with splatters of red—yet he can't tear his eyes away. it's like there's a force drawing him towards it. but then he hears the rustle again, and whips his head around. 

"come on, jeno."

it's renjun, and jeno sighs, following along and burying the need to sit in that chair deep inside him. something is wrong with this circus. 

"now let's meet contestant number two! he's a psychopathic, deranged, crackhead freak who works for the dark carnival. he says women call him 'stretch nuts'. sharon, let's hear your question."

jeno looks at the tent in horror. 

"how is this girl still playing the game? a schizopherniac and a psychopath? and how are the audience watching this?"

he asks, but renjun is speechless too. they inch their way around the outside of the tent, trying their best to stay silent. unfortunately, it's nearly impossible, since dead leaves and twigs litter the floor, crackling and rustling at every small movement. enough time passes that they hear the next few acts announced. 

"well, you know the juggla. dead dirty canaries, dead juggalos. the room of joker-o's."

they exchange a glance upon hearing that one, but it's not the most outlandish act they've heard. 

"dont put away your wallets just yet, brothers and sisters. there's somebody here i'd like all of you to meet. this is little jonathan. jonathan, say hello to the lovely people. jonathan has problems. twisted neck, tangled legs, crooked spine, but we can heal this boy for just, uh, six thousand dollars, we can heal this boy!"

jeno's face morphs into one of disgust when he hears that one. the thought of the people in the circus giving out their money for what sounds like a false cause makes him sick to his stomach. 

jeno looks back at renjun, who's decided to go behind him this time to 'guard their back'. to be honest, jeno thinks he's just afraid. he doesn't blame him though. that is, until he walks straight into someone, which causes him to have a heart attack, and slap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming. 

he looks up after a second, and his heart twists when he sees a wide grin, carved into pale cheeks staring down at him. the figure is tall from where jeno is on the floor after falling over, and he feels renjun stood behind him, frozen exactly as he is. 

the boy's eyes don't look much older than twenty. they're sparkly and wide, but his huge grin with red... lipstick, or face paint, hopefully, smeared around haphazardly deters from the charm his eyes have. his hair is bright white, but greasy and long, and only just curly.

his arms are behind his back, held with the grace of a ballroom dancer. his posture is too unnatural, yet jeno can't look away. he hears footsteps behind him, and renjuns voice, so it occurs to him deep down that renjun has just left him... for dead. but the figure in front of him is too entrancing for him to care. 

"what do we have here?"

the boy rasps, one arm appearing from behind his back with a long silver knife in it. jeno's blood runs cold and his mouth dries up, frozen with fear. the silver glint of the metal is dulled by dried red, and jeno doesn't want to know where it came from. 

"you're one of the stragglers i've seen in town, no?"

jeno bites his tongue before he can answer, but thy turns out to be the wrong choice, because the clown kneels down and presses his other hand to his chest. there's a surprising amount of force behind it, because it knocks the wind out of his lungs. 

they lock eyes, and there's a second of vulnerability where the boy freezes, and his smile weakens the slightest bit, but then jeno hears a shriek from somewhere far off—he knows it's renjun—and watches as the sick grin reappears on his face. he looks ahead, and it suddenly registers to jeno that someone is standing behind him. 

"take him to johnny."

he says, and two figures hoist him up. the last thing he sees is the clown's grin and sickening wave before he feels a pin prick in his arm and his vision blacks out. 

——

jeno comes to with his muscles aching. his back feels stiff, yet when he moves he can feel his bones grinding against each other. he can't see anything, but soon registers that no, he's not blind. he's got something over his head. he hears gasps, and the voice of the announcer, meaning that he must've been dragged inside. he wiggles his fingers and toes, which are bound by something. 

suddenly the _thing_ is ripped off his head and light floods his sight. he squints to look up at whoever is in directly front of him. unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's not the clown. there's a more or less normal looking man stood above him, but he has a stoic glare. 

"so you're one of the other delinquents who got in."

he says, and jeno feels his spirits lift a little. he opens his mouth to talk, but no sound comes out. he tries to scream, but it feels like his vocal chords are simply _gone_. the man laughs, and turns his back. then jeno spots the clown, leaning against the wall with a huge grin still on his face. how his face muscles aren't in agony, jeno doesn't know. 

"you three really aren't helping our business here."

he continues, and jeno pieces together that this must be johnny. jeno keeps looking over at the clown, who is now picking his nails with his knife as he waits. he looks to be bored out of his mind. 

"i'm not a horror movie villain though, i promise."

jeno looks up, with a small sliver of hope in his heart thinking that he could just let them go.

"i won't let you slip away. milenko needs children like you. besides, letting you hear my plan is just a right of passage for true villains."

he hears a hysterical laugh from behind him, through the fabric of the tent, and jeno feels a chill run up his spine, causing him to shudder. the man smiles as he glances outside the tent, and seemingly sees someone. 

"i'm on, sir. i'll be back in a bit, maybe once i've cut off another head."

the clown says as he steps forwards. he says it with such ease that it could've been mistaken for any casual conversation, and jeno is shocked. two figures enter the room as he leaves, and jeno vaguely recognises them as the two who hoisted him away. they just stand at the entrance, arms crossed. the man finally exits the room, and jeno is left with his thoughts. 

they look like teenagers, which doesn't sit right with jeno. one of them has a bright smile as he talks to the other boy, but it drops as soon as he sees jeno watching them. the other has dirty brown hair with blonde streaks, and a stoic face the whole time. they actually have nametags, chenle and jisung, but they don't suit sinister guards at a circus. 

jeno begins to doze off again, but that's interrupted when two more figures appear in the doorway. however, jeno knows they're not from the circus. how? because they hit the figures with metal piping, knocking them clean out as they walk forwards. jeno's heart leaps when he realises it's ryujin, and he grins when she cuts his binds with a knife that she pulls from one of the figures belts. 

he stands, and greets her as silently as possible. he's sure that his bewilderment is clear on his face, and he deems that enough congratulations and thankfulness for their situation. his heart quickly drops, because he sees the girl from earlier is the other figure. ryujin steps in between them, as the girl cowers behind her. 

"i'm just trying to help. i'm sorry."

she says, and jeno just scowls at her. 

"she helped me get out of there, jeno. come on, we have to trust her for now."

ryujin says, and jeno takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. he looks around, taking in their surroundings. the guards are still breathing, but definitely knocked out, and the main tent is definitely behind them, through the fabric. 

"how'd you hold up in there?" 

jeno asks, but ryujin shakes her head. 

"not the time, jeno. when we find mark and renjun get out of this place."

she replies, and he looks to the girl. she takes a deep breath and puts her hands on her hips as jeno watches her, and she glances at ryujin for encouragement. 

"i'm yeji. i'm trying to help you, idiot."

she says, more assertive than before. it's an odd look on her, since he first thing he remembers about her is a ditzy and bubbly exterior full of giggles. nonetheless, he can't deny that they need help.

"well come on, where do you think they'll be?"

he asks her, and yeji pauses. she thinks to herself for longer than jeno is comfortable standing here for, but he keeps himself quiet. she's their best chance at finding them after all. 

"the ticket booth where i work has a passage under it. i've not been allowed to go, but i can assure you something will be down there that they don't want us to find."

she says. ryujin looks at her and grins, before looking down at yeji's feet. she nods her head, and that's when jeno realises that yeji is wearing heels. he can assure anyone that that is not a great choice for their current situation. surprisingly, she just kicks off the yellow shoes, leaving her mostly barefoot in red tights. 

she rolls her eyes, and nods her head in the direction of the doorway. 

"i'll be quieter anyway, dumbass."

she says as she pulls out a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapping it and putting it in her mouth. jeno follows her, carefully checking as they sneak around corners. he hears the announcers voice again as they dash past the entrance to the main tent. 

"serial slaughtering stranglers, jugular juggling juggalos, it's violent j, he's back like a vertebrae." 

a sinister laugh echoes through the entire tent, and jeno shivers. he and ryujin stop in their tracks as they listen to the entrancing riff that starts up, but yeji quickly yanks them out of their daze and pulls them along. 

"the music here can keep you here for years. try not to get distracted by it will you?"

she says, and jeno simply stumbles after her, slightly dazed. they make it to the ticket booth seemingly unseen. yeji squeezes her way in and lifts up the floorboards, revealing a chute with a ladder leading down into the darkness. yeji begins to climb down, and ryujin pushes jeno forwards to go before her. 

he has to swallow his anxiety as he descends down the ladder into a narrow chute with small emergency lights on the walls. it's claustrophobic, and his skin prickles as the temperature rises the slightest bit. 

"how far down does this go?"

he gets ryujin ask after she's put the floorboard back in place and begins to climb after them. 

"a little further. i've seen johnny come down but i've never been myself."

soon enough, they reach the bottom of the ladder and look around them. they seem to be in a small(ish) room, with two separate doors. both are made with intricately carved wood, each with its own gold plated label on it. the one to their right says, 'quibus pythonicus', but unfortunately jeno doesn't speak latin or whatever the language is. the other simply says 'next' on it, and they all mutually agree that that is probably the better door to go through than 'quibus pythonicus'. 

they push against the door, try the handle, and surprisingly enough, it's open. the door swings open, and the room it reveals is distinctly different to the rest of the circus. it's intricate, like the door, made of wood, with gold and candles and a chandelier. then it hits jeno. this is supposedly a travelling circus, so how is there a chute down to an intricate room in the ground if the circus has been here for a day. 

he can't finish that thought though, because they see mark and renjun in the corner, bound like he was, with bags over their heads. they look like the kidnap victims in films. ryujin pulls out the knife that she stole from the guard, and jeno walks over to them. 

"renjun, mark, it's me, jeno."

he says, and suddenly the pair of them start to move. he pulls off the sacks and is met by shocked faces of his friends. jeno sighs in relief, grateful that they're still actually alive. 

"jeno! i cant believe you're here!"

renjun says, and jeno slaps his hand over renjun's mouth as ryujin makes her way forwards with the knife, cutting renjun's bonds carefully before moving onto mark. 

"you need to be quiet."

he says, and renjun nods. they pull themselves to their feet, but before they can make their way back out of the room, they hear voices, mainly the man jeno was stuck with, outside of the door. they all look at each other with stunned eyes.renjun slips behind the bookshelf by the door, hidden mainly by the fact that when the door is open, he won't be visible. jeno sees ryujin pull yeji somewhere before he and mark run and duck behind one of the decorative chaise lounges. 

"so, we're lucky enough to have at least three of those teenagers? i'm impressed. milenko really outdid himself."

jeno hears, and he peeks around the corner. he sees the man reaching for the bookshelf renjun is hiding by, and his heart drops. suddenly, he hears someone else shout out. 

"hey! i'm right here!"

ryujin shouts, and jumps out from her hiding place. jeno's face drops, and they lock eyes from across the room. 

"run!"

she shouts, and mark pulls jeno up as renjun dashes out of the room. he watches as the man and the guard he has with him corner ryujin. unfortunately, the clown that seems to work very closely with him has been sent after them, when he looks back. he grabs yeji's hand and pulls her along, heart dropping as the both of them can't afford to look back for her. 

they climb the first half of the ladder, seeing mark and renjun above them and lifting up the floor of the ticket stand above them. jeno looks down and sees yeji with the clowns hand around her ankle. she kicks him as hard as she can, and he feels sorry for him somewhere deep down. but he scrambles up the ladder as fast as he can. he didn't realise how far up they were on the way down, so his heart shatters when yeji's foot slips and she loses her grip on the ladder. 

jeno watches in horror as the clown swings to one side and lets yeji plummet past him, all the way down to the floor at the base of the ladder, landing with a sickening crunch. jeno isn't a doctor but he can tell that she isn't getting up from that, because he hears her pained gasps turn to silence as he tries to escape. he and the clown lock eyes as they reach the top, and they both freeze. the grin that's carved into the boys face disappears, and jeno looks into his wide eyes. to be honest, the clown looks just as afraid as jeno upon what just happened. 

tears well up in the clowns eyes as he shakes his head, and stalls on the ladder, lips trembling as he motions for jeno to go. jeno is shocked, and it takes a few seconds for his brain to kick into gear again. instead, he tips the clowns chin up a little and presses his lips to his own. he’s met with enthusiasm, but when they hear voices at the bottom of the ladder, he throws the floorboards over the chute. he hasn't even realised that he's got tears running down his cheeks as he stumbles after mark and renjun.

——

jeno’s skateboard isn’t a comfort anymore. 

normally, the escapism it brings him when he goes out is a blessing. he doesn’t have a shitty family to deal with, nor a lack of friends. but now, it’s a burden. he carries ryujin’s skateboard with him as they run from the circus, with mark and renjun alongside him. he regrets investigating the circus. he knows he should’ve just listened to mrs smith. she told them everything that was up, how people disappeared, how it was cursed. of course he thought he was going to be the exception. that’s just how the story goes. but no, jeno was wrong. he lost his best friend and a girl who had a chance at life. 

what he didn’t see coming, was the carnival staff placed along the abandoned highway, who jumped out and grabbed them, injecting something into their necks. as jeno’s eyes went dim, he heard the whisper of ‘nobody tells what happens here’.

but what he doesn’t see is the next bunch of teenagers skating along towards the carnival, as soon as their bodies are dragged off the highway.

**Author's Note:**

> i’ve realised that i like to lead my readers on, and set up some plot line but curveball them and have another one happen. basically, at the end of the day, i wrote this fic thinking that we aren’t that important to the wider arch of the earth, because we all die and get forgotten eventually.


End file.
